Definition

Advertising agency

Advertising agency refers to a marketing services firm that assists companies in planning preparing, implementing, and evaluating all or portions of their advertising programs.

Advertising agencies originated in he mid-to late- 1800s by salespeople and brokers who worked for the media and received a commission for selling advertising space to companies. As time passed, the salespeople began to help customers prepare their ads. Eventually, they formed agencies and grew closer to the advertisers than to the media.